Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

A month ago I was crowing about the glorious chocolate stout cake with chocolate ganache I made for my birthday. It was fudgy and rich but not too sweet, with a depth from the stout. Basically perfect. Then, a couple days later, my friends asked if I could bring a dessert to their dinner party. They’re both gluten-free, and I have a number of go-to recipes. But I couldn’t get that chocolate cake out of my mind.

I knew I’d pinned a gluten-free quinoa cake months ago, but didn’t quite love the exact ingredient proportions. I found another, tweaked it a little, and used the same chocolate ganache as the other cake. I took the remaining three-fourths of my birthday cake and the quinoa cake to the party.

I had to label them because they were identical, and honestly, I think people liked them equally. The only real difference you could tell was that the quinoa cake didn’t have the stout (on account of the gluten), but I plan to adapt it for a bourbon or similar at some point—just have to do my research on gluten and alcohol. And there was still some of the whole quinoa in it since my blender isn’t great, but if you use a food processor it will puree it and you’d never even know.

This cake is topped with a super easy (but fancy looking) pouring dark chocolate ganache…I show two different techniques in that post, but either way you’re talking like 5 minutes max, and 2-3 ingredients.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low, then continue to cook at a simmer for 20 minutes or according to package instructions. Once it’s cooked, remove the lid, fluff with a fork, and cool to room temperature (you can put it in the fridge for this, just stir occasionally to keep it from becoming a gummy mess).

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and line a large round pan with parchment paper and set aside. I used a springform pan, which makes it easier to get the cake out of the pan.

In a blender or food processor (preferred, gives you better texture), blend the milk, eggs, and vanilla, then add the cooled quinoa and melted butter. Blend until completely smooth.

It weirdly looks like tapioca pudding before blending…

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (as well as the cinnamon and cayenne if you’re using). I used dutch-process cocoa powder because I love the rich, dark, deep flavors it gives. But either that or regular cocoa powder are fine.

Pour the blended mixture over dry ingredients, and stir to combine. It will be a fairly thick batter.

Pour into the prepared pan and spread to even it out. Bake for around 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. It may be closer to 50 or 60 minutes, just depending on your oven (this was originally meant to be a two-layer cake, so you may need a longer bake time).

If you’re using a springform pan, unmold the cake after letting it cool for only a few minutes. Getting the icing on there while it’s still warm helps seal in some of the moistness.

If you used a regular pan, you’ll probably need to let it cool longer so you can safely remove it from the pan without it falling apart.

I go into more detail in this post on how to make chocolate ganache (two different methods, and both are so easy!) but basically you’re going to melt the chocolate, cream, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, whisking constantly.

I often just heat up the cream in the microwave or on the stove until it’s hot but not boiling, and then just pour it over the chocolate chips, add the coffee, and whisk until smooth and creamy.)  Let’s be honest, I’m lazy.

Poke some holes in the cake with a toothpick, then drizzle the ganache over the top of the cake, spread, and let set. The cake will keep well for a few days (recommend refrigerating, or at least covering with foil), but let’s be honest—no one’s going to let it sit around that long!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Chocolate Ganache

• 1 1/3 cup of water
• 2/3 cup of dry white quinoa (rinsed if the package doesn’t state that it is rinsed)
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup of butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar (I went light on the sugar)
• 1 cup of cocoa powder (I used dutch-process, it’s darker & richer)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Optional:  1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon & 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 6 ounces of good semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons of heavy cream
• 3/4 teaspoon of instant coffee granules or instant espresso

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking at a simmer for 20 minutes. Once cooked, fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow to cool to room temperature (you can put it in the fridge for this, just stir occasionally).
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and line a large round pan (I used a springform) with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In a blender or food processor (preferred), blend the milk, eggs, and vanilla, then add the cooled quinoa and melted butter. Blend until completely smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (and cinnamon & cayenne pepper if you’re using).
5. Pour the blended quinoa mixture over dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for around 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. It may be closer to 50 or 60 minutes, just depending on your oven.
6. For the ganache, melt the chocolate, cream, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, whisking constantly. (My friend also suggested that you can heat up the cream until it’s hot but not boiling, and then just pour it over the chocolate chips, add the coffee, and whisk until smooth and creamy.)
7. If you’re using a springform pan, unmold the cake after letting it cool for a few minutes. Poke some holes in the cake with a toothpick, then drizzle the ganache over the top of the cake, spread, and let set. If you used a regular pan, let it cool enough to where you can safely remove it from the pan without it falling apart, then follow the same steps.
8. Store covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Original recipe here